Also known as alates, flying termites almost look like ants. One of the most obvious features of flying termites is the wings. Female alates use their wings to fly from higher areas to the ground. Once they find a new home, they can shed their wings. This is why you can find little wings around your door and windows. If you see them inside, it could be a sign of infestation.
In this article, let’s learn more about flying termites and some of the most important tips to get rid of them.
Why Do Termites Swarm?
Termites swarm to breed and start new colonies. During this period, the male and female alates take a nuptial flight to look for breeding grounds. The same practice also happens among other insects like ants so many people often mistake termites for ants. A clear indication of termites is their paler body and bigger wings. After termites finish mating, they shed their wings to create a new colony.
Flying Termites vs. Ants
Colour – Flying termites usually have a whitish or paler colour while ants are dark colored. Some ants often appear to be black or red.
Wings – Flying termites have two pairs of white or translucent wings. Ants also have two pairs of wings except that the front wings are longer than the back wings.
Antennae –Flying termites have a straight antenna while ants have bent antennas.
Waist – Flying termites have thicker torso while ants have thinner torso and they also have tails.
How Can You Tell If There is a Termite Infestation in Your Home?
Termites are considered an international menace. They are present all around the world. So don’t think that having termites in our home is an isolated case. To prevent the worsening of infestation, the following are some things that you can consider.
Blisters on wooden floorings
Blisters on wooden floorings are a good indication of termite infestation. It could be anywhere such as your window panes, wooden doors, and wooden furniture. Some obvious signs of blisters can include discoloration, blackening, and small holes in wooden areas. Small holes with apparent droppings near the foundation of the wood can indicate signs of subterranean termites. During the rainy season, the chance of detecting termite presence could be low because they might already be inside your home.
Hollowed wood
Any hollowed wood is a sign of severe termite infestation. That means termites must have been living in your home for too long and most of the interior parts of your wood have been eaten away. There could be millions of termites working inside the wooden structures of your home now. Try to knock on the wooden parts of your home. If it produces a hollow sound, that part could be infested with termites. If you want to probe a little further, you can dig a small hole and see if there are insects behind.
Proof of Swarms
Broken termite wings are apparent signs of termite infestation. The shed wings must have come from the alates that have taken flight around your home. Alates are attracted to artificial lights and they will swarm into them whenever they have a chance. After the rain, flying termites will also come out from their nest to dry their wings and mate. You can hire a professional termite inspector to ensure prompt and proper discovery.
Mud Tubes
If you have a lawn or garden, you better check the foundations of your home that is made of wood. Subterranean termites can easily find their way from the ground to your home as soon as they find probable settlement therein. Considering that subterranean termites are originally from the ground; they use mud tunnels to get to their destination.
Subterranean termites are very attracted to rotting woods so don’t keep them in your garden. Just like other pests, termites have good navigational and planning skills, owed to their long antennas.
Keep the Flying Termites Away
Since flying termites make up only smaller colonies, the best way to get rid of them is to exterminate all termites in general. There are multiple options for getting rid of termites such as the baiting technique, liquid termiticide, and termite monitoring. We, however, suggest contacting a professional termite technician to completely eradicate them.
Don’ts When You Spot Winged Termites
- Don’t think spraying alone will solve your problem
If you spot a swarm, spraying is only a temporary solution to stop them from swarming. The bigger issue of termites lying behind your wooden walls will remain. Every day a new colony is established by the winged termites.
- Don’t block their escape
Open all your doors and windows so they can escape. It can be tempting to cover the holes that they made but covering their passageway will only encourage them to make new holes somewhere else.
- Don’t ignore it
While termites don’t bite humans, you must not ignore this little menace. If you’ve spotted flying termites around your home, the next thing you should do is to look for mud tubes. Some popular places for mud tubes are gardens, wooden foundations, fences, rotten walls, crevices, crawl spaces, ceilings, and other wooden structures in your home.
Dos When You See a Flying Termite in your Home
Do take the termite attack seriously
You might think the issue is not anything serious because you only see a few termites flying around. But these termites could only be a few of the thousands of termites hiding in strategic places in your home. Remember, termites are very good at hiding and while they chew on your woods, it would be beneficial to conduct a general termite checkup for your home.
Do check the weather
Termites breed during spring or summer so make sure you prepare when the breeding season comes. Stock up on insect repellent and termite spray. If you see termites swarming your home, spray pesticide on them.
Do kill them right away
Too many people don’t take these tiny creatures seriously because they’re often mistaken for ants. Unfortunately, flying termites are breeders and must be terminated right away to prevent them from spreading to their colony.
To identify them correctly
Again, alates and carpenter ants almost look the same. Identifying them correctly will help you apply the right solution to get rid of them. Ants are reddish in colour and have pinched torso. They have a bent antenna and 2 pairs of wings – the front is rather big. Flying termites have pale, translucent bodies without a pinched torso. Their wings are similar in size and will only stay up for a couple of seconds before falling to the floor.
Of course, it’s hard to determine them right away especially when they swarm at night time. But take a closer look at the wings and their behaviour when they fly. Ants don’t fall easily but termites do. Moreover, they shed their wings once they find a new place to breed.
Don’t be fooled by termites. If you see them, it is an indication that there are termites around your premises or that termites have already started infesting the wooden structures in your home. Before everything gets worse, contact a professional termite inspection team.
What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control the absolute best in the game!
